Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Ruby!" The quiet and vexed squeal was from none other than Aquamarine. "What was that?" She squawked when they had flown out of earshot from the hideously shabby closet Steven Universe called a home. Her wings flapped hurriedly, spraying tiny droplets of water onto Ruby's head.

Ruby snorted indignantly. "Like it was all my fault! You just had to monologue for a thousand years before doing the damn thing!" 

"Ugh! You Rubies don't understand the elegance or flair for the dramatic!" The winged gem turned her head up and away from Ruby. "It was essential to the plan!"

"So was winning!"

"Hmph!"

They flew in adamant silence, the pair stubbornly refusing to even look at the other. If you had dropped Ruby on an ice planet, the world would've evaporated under the hot irons she called feet. Anger was palpable in Aquamarine's firm grip on her hand as well. It seemed to squeeze harder than it had before. 

Fortunately, Aquamarine was forced to break the stiff tension eventually. "Well I'm going to need to land soon. I can't keep this up forever." Proving her own point, the two began to droop in the air. The clouds that had remained a measure below them wafted just against her ankles.

Squinting into the distance, a small rough shape was a highlighted skip in the dark muddled purple coastline. Boldly vivid lights glowered like a self-contained galaxy, stark contrast to the murky subdued landscape around it.

It was oddly magnetizing. In a familiar way. Tall buildings with reflective glass panels all the way up. It looked… like homeworld. "We should land there," Ruby suggested softly. Her voice sounded gravelly, rough. She was choking on this silence like it was chalk. She had to clear her throat.

"Good idea Ruby," Aquamarine said. Ruby's face got a little bit hotter. That was about the nicest thing Aquamarine had said since they met. But she chose not to think about that reality at the moment.

Dipping in the air they dove toward the compacted little city excitedly, both eager for a restful moment. They landed with a heavy  thud  on the hard brick of an ashen-colored shady rooftop. Ruby landed face first as Aquamarine carelessly dropped her. Aquamarine nose dived (Or maybe in her case just dived,) right smack into the quarter wall surrounding the perimeter, proceeding to slam into the ground as her wings gave out entirely. Ruby wanted to yell and almost did. But the tiny gem looked so tired, slumped on the ground. So  cute.

Ruby shook the thought out of her head. Earth was just full of these odd feelings. She pushed herself up and walked to Aquamarine's clumsy tangle. "Need some help?" She asked, rejecting the snarky smile musing at the corners of her mouth and speaking as genuinely as possible.

"Not at all thank you," Aquamarine replied curtly. She stood herself up and dusted off her skirt. "So where are we now?"

Ruby glanced down toward the towering buildings that lined the street. The brilliant lights glowed in neon colors, the kinds Ruby hasn't seen since they were off-planet. "Definitely not Beach City." 

Aquamarine sighed, raking her hands through her messied hair. “We’ll have to get back there with a plan. We can surely get them next time.”

“But now Bluebird won't be a surprise.” Watching her partner teasing her hair made her run a self-conscious hand through her own. It was surprisingly hard, thick curls were dense and poofy. Tangles and burrs caught her fingers and pulled at her scalp.

“But Steven gave us a new angle. What he said about  love  and  responsibility  or whatever. If we pretend we’ve done as he said, he couldn’t possibly turn us away. The  kind and noble Steven Universe,  turning away  innocent, changed gems? ” Her whiny impressions were dripping with delighted venom. Ruby was growing increasingly distracted as she continued, trying in vain to fix her frizzy locks as Aquamarine had. When the blue gem finally took a breath, she took notice of her struggle. “Ugh, let me fix it, Ruby.”

She fluttered up to eye level and began tediously untangling the unruly fuzz. “I thought you said you were too tired to fly?” Luckily Aquamarine giggled.

“When I was lugging around you perhaps.” The gems laughed, though Ruby wasn’t quite sure at what. Normally these would be insults. Especially coming from an irritated Aquamarine. But the friendliness in her voice was much more pleasant than usual. 

“You know, I thought you’d be angrier that we failed,” Ruby said carefully.

Aquamarine paused, holding a tendril of maroon hair between her fingers. “Oh trust me, I’m furious. And though I could and did fault you for that, I’d much rather be angry at Steven.” She slowly began separating curls once again. “There’s a human saying in the movie we watched. The one we saw with My Dad remember?” Ruby nodded slightly, careful of Aquamarine’s work. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I like that quote quite a lot now, I think. Perhaps we need an addendum to our alliance.”

Ruby smiled a bit. “Does that mean we're… Friends?”

“I certainly like you more than my old Topaz, the big brute.” They shared a laugh again. Was this what Ruby had wanted? She had felt it many times before; That other Ruby and her Sapphire. Daydreams of having her own Pearl. Surely it was unprofessional, but the jealous feeling never went away. But it seemed far and away from up here. 

“Alright, that’s the best I can do. Do all Rubies take such little care over their form?” Aquamarine plopped herself atop her neatened pillow of hair. Ruby blushed a thousand degrees hotter.

“It’s just always like that.” She peered again at the buildings that were huddled close on their island. “There’s really something weird about this planet. Always has been.”

Aquamarine scooted forward to peer limply in front of her eye. “Obvious quirks aside, what do you mean?”

“I mean, look at it. Humans do so much here.” Aquamarine propped her chin on her elbows. 

“The calamity would never have been tolerated on Homeworld.” She stated blatantly.

“But doesn’t it still remind you of it? I bet this is what it looked like to the Diamonds.” The streetlamps glittered in her eyes. 

The street below them was cluttered with human vehicles, alive with roaring engines. The street lights danced off the glistening windows. Even the buildings had colorful windows, the light of all colors seeping out drawn curtains. It stretched on for miles, each road the same, and so peculiarly different. Ruby couldn’t tell if the symmetry was purposeful or not anymore.

“Oh, the dazzling heights. Have you never been on a rooftop on Homeworld?” Aquamarine asked sarcastically.

“No.” Ruby squeaked quietly.

“I thought you said you were celebrated for fighting against Steven?” She sounded skeptical.

Ruby rolled her eye. “Have you ever seen a Ruby at an elegant ball before? It’s not exactly a commonplace.” Her memories suddenly felt downcast.

Aquamarine simply  hmm ed thoughtfully and stayed quiet for a beat. “I guess it  is  a rather nice view.” She twirled a coil of maroon red hair idly, as they watched the cityscape change. The stars were entirely visible now, adding a new sparkle to the scene before them.

Plastic and stone carved the sidings, No two towering structures exactly congruent. It was chaotic, sure, but lively. She struggled to place the familiarity for many minutes. But it clicked eventually.

It was reminiscent of her platoon. Of her family. The exact same by most standards, but not to those who truly looked. Grinding as they were they had been her team, as all Rubies were loyal to. 

“So what do we do next?” Aquamarine said, breaking a long silence.

Ruby thought for a moment. “Maybe we should try to ‘sleep’ like humans do.”

Her pygmy companion raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

She just shrugged. “It’s used to pass time, and as long as we’re staying here, we should surely work on our stealth. Acclimating to the humans could help us. Besides, aren’t you tired?”

“Gems don’t get tired.” Aquamarine retorted flatly. 

“You were just tired of flying! But I mean like, mentally. From Steven, and the plan. We both might need a rest.” Ruby tried her best to put her reasoning academically, a flimsy attempt at appealing to the water Gem’s ego.

Aquamarine thought it over quietly, murmuring aloud as she debated her head. She eventually sighed disappointedly. “I suppose. But only because if you’re  so  tired you’re gonna be no help. How do we do it?”

Ruby hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Well, when humans do it, they usually lay down. And their eyes are closed. And they don’t really do much.” She stuttered awkwardly.

“That doesn’t sound difficult.” She stretched herself out on Ruby’s head, fluffing it up like a nest. She did nothing but breathe quietly for several minutes before Ruby piped up.

“How am I supposed to sleep then?” 

Aquamarine pushed herself up. “Maybe that’s not a viable option then. I guess we just sleep on this concrete.”

Ruby rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t think that’s quite a wonderful alternative.” 

Aquamarine put her hands on her hips and flew gracefully down from her perch. “Perhaps there’s another way.” She scanned the rooftop quickly before stopping at the closest corner. “How about, you lay down there?” She pointed to the ground, and Ruby hesitantly complied.

“And I’ll lay right here.” Aquamarine curled herself right next to Ruby’s head, her legs dangling only barely to her elbow. Ruby tried to contain herself, blushing amber red. Hopefully, it was dim enough here to where she couldn’t see it. She moved accordingly to Aquamarine, conforming to fit themselves together snugly. It was a few minutes of shuffling and uncomfortably whisper-shouting before they stilled.

“And now we sleep.” She whispered hushedly.

Aquamarine nodded. “And now we sleep.”

And they let themselves drift off into the sweet darkness. 

Chapter Text

Ruby blinked her eye a few times, disoriented. What was that? Had she been destabilized? Was she regenerating?

A quick glance ahead reminded her of the night before. That had been human 'sleeping.' Taking note of herself, it seemed it hadn't done particularly much. Though she felt surprisingly energetic now that she was awake again. 

In front of her eye, Aquamarine's shape suddenly registered to her mind. The blue gem was still snoozing away. She was curled into a tiny ball, twiddling a section of her hair once again whilst simultaneously cuddled within the afro and laying on top of her arm. Her right arm had gone numb underneath her. But the innocent vulnerability on her face. Ruby had a hard time placing it, a foreign emotion to her companion's face. 

Aquamarine could be a brusque person, Ruby understood that. Excruciatingly well. Just a day she kicked sand into her eyes. But Ruby missed her annoying little voice when it was quiet. She had gotten used to it squawking in her head when they were Bluebird. Not to mention her ridiculous accent. Ruby wondered what planet she was from. No one who emerged on Homeworld had an accent, let alone such a striking one. 

Maybe Luyten B. Many of the gems from that colony came out extremely close to perfect, and it was Blue Diamond's colony. Ruby had only been there once, and it was an unremarkable experience. About 2000 years ago she wanted to say, though she'd probably never say for sure. It had been colonized shortly after the war had ended. Ruby could scarcely remember the accent in the Agates that were stationed there. They were similar at least, but her memory failed her.

Aquamarine began to stir, fidgeting weakly and blinking open her eyes slowly. She groaned feebly in a semi-sweet voice. "Ruby?"

Ruby didn't know what humans did after this part. Maybe they said good morning? Or hello? She had never done this before.

"Good hello." She whispered awkwardly.

Luckily, Aquamarine didn't seem to know exactly what to say either. "Good hello." She repeated unsurely. 

"I don't think that's what you're supposed to say." 

"No, I don't think it is." She pushed herself up and looked toward the light blue sky. She squinted at the brightly burning Earth sun. "But it appears the sleeping thing worked. It's been at least 7 hours or so." Aquamarine surveyed.

Ruby sat up with her, placing a tentative hand on the brick ledge that enclosed the roof. It sent tingles up to her shoulder as it recovered feeling. The city was even more alive than it was last night. Horns blared, people hollered, and the buzz of human life was cacophonous. 

"It's even louder than at night." She observed.

"Well if they sleep every night that'd make sense." Aquamarine reasoned. She yawned a tiny, cute yawn. Ruby didn't even know Gems could do that. Could she yawn? She'd have to wait and find out.

She shifted between her feet. "Now what do we do?" 

"I don't know. We could continue to infiltrate the humans." Aquamarine suggested. 

"You really want to? You thought the idea was dumb last night."

Aquamarine cleared her throat annoyedly and glanced away. "Yes, but the 'sleeping' was quite useful so I suppose maybe other human things could be just as handy." 

"So what things do humans do? They seem pretty useless."

Aquamarine pointed down into the street. "Well, they're doing things right now. It shouldn’t be difficult to just pretend we're one of them."

"Okay! To infiltrate the humans!" She barked eagerly. Aquamarine took her by the hand and flew her over the edge. She shouted excitedly, pumping her fists into the air as they lowered gracefully down to the crowded sidewalk, plopping themselves within the raging live current. 

It was suddenly an entirely foreign situation, one for which she was entirely unprepared. Ruby immediately began to get swept away, having to walk as fast as her stubby legs could take her. The humans surrounding them stood tall above her head, though not by too much. It was less noticeable than the difference between Rubies and other, stockier soldiers. Aquamarine was not as fortunate, without enough room to fly. The click of her shoes was as fast as possible, but not fast enough. 

It was an abundance of everything. The sights, the sounds, the smells, stars, the smells. Did humans just choose to smell like this? It was overwhelmingly busy. The tumultuous sound of thousands of feet. It had been noisy from far above, but right in the packed tight swarm could’ve drowned you. Ruby felt herself slipping from ambition into fear instinctually.

Suddenly, one particularly lofty man kicked the water gem out of his path nonchalantly. Aquamarine stumbled and fell onto the solid pavement. As humans began to trip over her head, she cried out, "Ruby!" Her hand was stretched out for rescue. Swiftly and clumsily, Ruby snatched her outreached hand and swung her up to a safe vantage point on her head.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked.

Aquamarine panted while catching her breath, and coiled a ringlet of hair between gloved fingers anxiously. "I'm fine. Humans are just so unruly." She let go of Ruby's hair and adjusted herself comfortably. "I think we should probably split off from this crowd." 

"On it," Ruby replied thankfully. Aquamarine seemed to flinch and duck every corner they turned, as she directed them through the thick throng of people. They came bursting through the first door they grabbed a hold of. 

The heavy glass door slowed to stop behind them, and it was suddenly much quieter. The blaring traffic outside was muffled to a tolerable static background noise, the delicate ringing of a bell behind them taking its place. The inside of the building was relatively compact, cramped, and cluttered with something inexplicably confusing.

“Are those...appearance modifiers?” Aquamarine gasped.

Ruby was just as dumbfounded. “That means that humans take them off? And don’t even make them themselves?” 

Aquamarine fluttered off of her head to peer into one of the numerous colorful racks, observing the array of materials each were constructed of. Her shoes clicked softly as she landed on the glossy white tile. “Maybe something like this is a better place to begin than one of their clockwork stampedes.” She flipped through the pieces, scrutinizing each one closely as if she was confused by their very existence. Though to be fair, they were.

They ran through rows upon rows of the things, varying in size and shape and color so wildly it could’ve been mistaken for a pile of off-colors. They tended to have similar garments grouped together, though the way they varied in size was still confusing. 

“Would humans wear specific ones for what type of human they are?” Aquamarine wondered aloud.

That caught Ruby’s attention. “Humans have types? None of them look the same to me.”

Aquamarine shook her head. “Last time I came to Earth I had to collect several different types of Humans. A Connie, A Mailman, An Onion I think.” She listed them off while counting on her fingers. “I’m regrettably still confused about what a My Dad is. The Crystal Gems had called what I was sure was a My Dad a Greg. No one ever briefed me about Gregs !” She threw her arm up wildly for emphasis. Ruby couldn’t help but chuckle.

The tiny gem shot her an accusatory look. “What are you laughing at?”

Ruby stifled another giggle. “Just you.”

Aquamarine looked flustered for just a moment before snapping back, “Don’t make fun of me!” She crossed her arms stubbornly and flew to the backside of the rack.

“Hey, don’t be upset. You’re just cute when you’re angry.” She slipped. She immediately regretted it.

“Excuse you!- Uh-” Aquamarine seemed to short circuit. “You’re such a twit.”

She rushed to change the subject, racing with the scarlet that rushed to her cheeks. “But you know, maybe humans just have multiple names.

Aquamarine scoffed, running a dress between her fingers smoothly. “Why would they do that?”

“Well, the movie that we watched. They called the main character multiple names. And how Steven had dubbed me ‘Eyeball.’” She still detested the name. “Like if I called you Aqua. Or Marine.” Ruby explained.

“Isn’t Marine a type of organics?” Aquamarine says flatly, letting the sleeve she held go limp.

Ruby racked her brain. She couldn’t remember, honestly. Maybe she’d never known it to begin with. “Then I’d just call you Aqua.” 

“Are we actually to go along with this frivolous human idea?” 

“Well, Aqua we’re supposed to be undercover as humans.” 

A light went off behind Aquamarine’s eyes. She put the piece back on the rack and flitted back over to her side. “Ruby you’re a genius! We’re going to be so well disguised Steven won’t know what hit him!” Ruby swelled with pride at Aquamarine calling her genius. The compliment had probably never left her lips before. “What am I supposed to call you?” 

Ruby thought for one, but it wasn’t like she knew much about nicknaming. And she certainly wasn’t going to go by Eyeball. “What about Rue? Or Bea? I don’t know exactly.”

Aquamarine hovered with poise just above eye-level, pulling a straightarrow index finger to her expression. “No, I like Bea. It suits you.” She floated down to the ground, landing with signature aristocratic elegance.

Ruby flushed, her gem hot to the touch. There she was again, starstruck by that annoying little voice. When Aqua began to skip away, she was almost too distracted to notice. But she was quick to catch up.

"So how do humans obtain these appearance modifiers?" She asked.

Aquamarine shrugged. "Probably just take them." 

"Then I'll take them all!" Ruby attempted to pick up the rack, gripping it from the bottom metal rail that connected to the wheels. It’s higher bars were just above her head, but she tried to lift with all her might. It was an awkward position, wheels digging into her shoulder with a hefty weight. But she still tried.

It swayed and wobbled. She struggled to keep it above her head as it toppled over her with a crash. She found herself smothered in fabric, hangers, and a metal rack. Aquamarine was cracking up with delightful giggles. 

"Are you okay?" She breathed between little fits of laughter. Her hand was stretched out to help her up.

Ruby's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she pushed the pile off her shoulders. Aquamarine's laughter was contagious as giggles bubbled up in her throat. She reached up to take her hand.

Suddenly, a shrill voice rang out abruptly. "Excuse you kids, where are your parents?" 

"Ugh, humans are so vexing." Aquamarine rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "They're even loud in here." She continued to walk away from wherever the irritating human was running amok, Ruby’s hand still in hers.

"Hey, kiddos, don't ignore me!" The voice called again. Aquamarine snapped around to see where the demands originated, and Ruby followed.

A spindly looking woman stood over them with a reservedly concerned look. Her hair was ash-colored and wispy around her peachy orange face. Very human. It appeared like she was stationed at this human establishment. She was holding out a wrinkled hand in a gesture of kindness. But Aquamarine did take it very kindly.

"What?" She barked. 

The older woman recoiled in surprise, before hardening sternly. Her lips drew thin before starting, "You can't be in here without an adult. Where are your parents?" She drew her hand back to her hips.

Aquamarine let out a heartily overemphasized laugh. "Oh, you think we're human. I'll have you know I'm hundreds of years older than you."

Only hundreds? Ruby thought. How old was Aquamarine? 

"Excuse me, young lady?" The woman scolded.

Aquamarine fluttered up to Ruby's head and landed softly, much to the lady's dismay. Humans must not fly, either. "Yep. Isn't that right Bea?" She said through a smile.

Ruby stood a bit straighter and cleared her throat. "By the thousands actually." 

"Okay, I see what's going on here." She rubbed the bridge of a protruding nose with slender fingers. "You kids have had your fun. But it's time to go, hun."

"We will not be going anywhere," Aquamarine said smugly.

Her voice dropped flat and reluctant. "If you two don't leave I'm going to have to call security." 

The two short gems looked between each other, and back to the woman. "Ruby, a word." Aquamarine hopped down and guided the two to face away from the woman. "Us alone can't take down security." She whisper-shouted.

"I could use my chisel." 

"But what about me?"

"I could carry you out."

"Or we leave, come back as Bluebird, and practice revenge."

Ruby paused their whisper argument to reason. "Okay good idea."

"I'll fly us out to avoid the crowd."

"Okay, it's a plan."

They shuffled back around to face the apparent employee. Aquamarine coughed into her hand before speaking in an oversaturated sweet voice. "We'll be taking our leave now." 

She proceeded to grab Ruby by the wrist and drag her out of the building, pushing past the woman as she obnoxiously yelped. Ruby pushed the door behind her, making slam shut in their wake. Before the swarm swept them up again, Aquamarine took flight, landing them delicately on the rooftop. The faint echo of the bell carried on the wind.

“What is with humans! Assuming we’re adolescents! Do they know nothing?” Aquamarine burst out spitefully. She gathered herself with a deep breath. “We need to fuse.” She held out a waiting hand once again. As Ruby took it with bated breath, a startling white light engulfing them both instantaneously.

***

Bluebird giggled to herself excitedly as she teetered on the edge of the rooftop. She wasn’t, in fact, two children attempting to sneak off from their guardians, and she could do whatever she wanted. Firstly, she will successfully infiltrate the appearance modifiers warehouse.

She fluttered down safely to her mission, swinging open the door confidently, and speeding to where they had previously been exploring. The fallen rack had been uprighted, and Bluebird wasn’t even sure which one Ruby had knocked over. The woman was now gone, meandering uselessly somewhere else. She could examine every article as closely as she pleased. 

Every linen was dyed an eccentric color, some with designs akin to geometric shapes, and some to people, though Bluebird hadn’t seen any of them before. She wondered what type of human they were. Most were unremarkable, nothing of importance. The little paper tags on each item labeled them with human characters. Whatever those were, she didn’t know. There were only important differentials on Homeworld; Dresses meant you were of importance and upper class, similar to suits, which meant you worked politically, and lower gems, such as guards and technicians wore uniforms. Bluebird wore a suit because she fancied it, and it wasn’t like anyone was enforcing dress codes anymore.

Her hands traced things aimlessly, running over racks in a quick, distracted fashion. The plastic they hung loosely on made a clicking sound as they hit one another. 

She came across an entire section dedicated to what she knew was pants. None of them appeared to have four legs. Disappointing.

But it was action time.

Seventeen or so rows of clothing racks ran parallel nearing the back wall. "Oops!" She squeaked, kicking down the rack in front of her. Like tumbling dominoes they fell, making quite the ruckus on the way down. Clashing metal poles were an ugly sound. Bluebird flinched at the chaotic clamor before her satisfied smile slowly crept up her cheeks. What a little storm she’d created. It was so unfortunate. But not for her obviously.

A shout rose from somewhere in the store. "I told you kids to get out!"

Bluebird admired her mess of pants before she fluttered over the rubble nonchalantly. A grand pile of boring and useless human stuff. Perfect!

The glass door followed her as she pushed her way out. It made the chime sound once again, louder this time and she had the time to fully notice it. She flew up once again to the windy rooftop.

A laugh rose from her chest and she hugged her sides tightly. Just like the grandiose villain in that movie she’d watched.

She waited for a moment, staring off into the blank space. It’s peaceful to look at but uproarious with sound. Every sound was bouncing off the buildings. The breeze ruffled her hair from its stiffly spherical shape. It blew away from her eye, brushing gently against her gems.

She savored the moments she was herself. Why, she’d never admit. But it was okay, just for the moment.

Cracking a smile, she quietly separated in a flood of light.

***

"Woohoo!" Ruby hollered as she popped back into existence, waving her hands wildly above her. "We totally got her back!"

Aquamarine was just as enthralled. "We're gonna be so amazing at revenge!"

Ruby brought her fists down excitedly. “What are we gonna do next?” She looked up at Aquamarine, who hovered just above eye level. Her eyes glittered in the afternoon light. The car’s droning seemed to fade away.

She perked up to question immediately. “I have an idea.” Aquamarine pointed over the roof’s edge to the bustling street down below. “How do you think humans get a hold of those vehicles?”

“You want one of the human vehicles?” Ruby got quiet. Aquamarine shook her head eagerly. “I know how to drive ships.” She offered.

“That has to be close enough, right Bea?”

She thought it over. She knew how even rudimentary engines worked, and it couldn’t be too difficult to steer. After all, humans made it. 

“Probably!” Ruby shouted brightly.

“Let’s see… We need to find somewhere with a lot of vehicles and not many humans. That shouldn’t be too hard to scope out.” Aquamarine grabbed her hand with two and took flight into the city.

They passed building after towering building with ease. The air rushed past them as they flew through the streets, laughing and yelling like they had lost their minds. Ruby saw them in reflections of windows. Aquamarine’s determined smile was an imprinted picture in her memory. 

Turning each corner, eyes peeled for any large gatherings of vehicles. This was a proper mission. And Ruby would not disappoint!

An odd-looking building caught her eye from the near distance. Built much different to the buildings surrounding it, it seemed to be constructed of concrete, in a lighter grey shade than the sidewalks below. It was divided into floors, each floor with a gap in the wall separating it from the last. Through these panels, Ruby recognized the blinding sheen of human vehicles.

“Over there!” She pointed with her free hand. 

“Perfect!” Aquamarine swooped down, easing upwards and landing Ruby exactly on one of the concrete ledges. She let go of her hand when she was on steady footing, floating down to land herself. “There’s so many to choose from! And not a single human in sight!” She hopped onto the hood of the vehicle below them.

They began down the aisle, pointing out unimportant details that caught their eye or complaining about how unrefined human civilization was. Though the latter was mostly Aquamarine. They ran down slopes to floors below them, searching through the junk meticulously. 

Leaves crunched under her feet as a gust of cold air swept them across the floor. It startled her. Does no one clean anywhere on Earth?

“Do you think these belong to types of humans as well?” Ruby asked.

“Probably not. I mean, I saw different humans just getting into any one they wanted. Though I believe they own specific ones,” She explained.

Ruby looked at the vehicles around them. “How can you tell if a human owns one?”

Aquamarine squinted at one she passed. “Probably the little plates they have. They all have unique scribbles. They probably represent what humans they belong to.”

“Huh,” Ruby said. “We should take one that a human owns.” 

“I think humans own all the ones in this building. Maybe that’s why they’re here.” She flitted up and sat on Ruby’s head again.

She snickered. “You must really like it up there, Aqua.”

“Hmm?”

“On my hair. You keep choosing to sit up there.” Ruby smiled as she could feel how Aquamarine huffed indignantly.

“You’re right. It’s comfortable. But if I have to carry you to fly, this is your fair retribution.” 

“It’s not like I mind. You weigh less than my chisel.”

Aquamarine laughed. “Well, you certainly aren’t light. That’s an even better reason for you to pay up.”

Ruby enjoyed their banter. Her partner and her had chemistry, undoubtedly. Maybe Aquamarine was warming up to them together as she was. She wouldn’t get her hopes up.

Suddenly, Aquamarine gasped and pushed herself up. “Bea look at that one!” She was gesturing towards a rather odd-looking car. It was mostly a rusty red color, reminiscent of Ruby herself. But the front left door was a mismatched teal. It wasn’t in the best shape, but it was memorable. “It looks like Bluebird!”

"We gotta steal that one." 

"Yes we do," Aquamarine said, flying up to the left side window. She took an elbow and one sharp jab. The glass shattered on impact and a beeping alarm howled at them. "Do you know how to turn off that wretched siren?"

Ruby joined her by the open window, peering into the cockpit. A basic steering wheel against the window, odd fabric seats, and a plethora of unusual buttons. The wailing noise had to be from somewhere inside. She could probably figure out how to start the engine, human technology wasn't nearly as complicated as the ships she was used to piloting. 

She precariously climbed in through the broken window, sliding down to the seat cushion. She struggled to turn herself upright in the tight cockpit. "How do humans fit in these things?" Ruby eventually wriggled her way into a comfortable position and took stock thoroughly.

Two pedals at her feet, most likely acceleration and brakes. A stick in the center console marked with more human characters. Another behind the wheel. Now, how to start it. 

There was an obvious panel below the steering wheel. She pried it off and flung it out the window, narrowly missing Aquamarine. "Watch it!"

She recognized the countless bundles of wires. "Just like my old ship," She murmured to herself.

She searched for the bundle connection to ignition, battery, and starter. It was tricky to concentrate with the alarm still going off rashly. Just from the smell in the air, she could tell that humans used old fossil fuel engines. Homeworld stopped using them long ago. Those resources went to gems now. Well, they did.

"Got it. Should only be another minute or so." She called to Aquamarine, who was impatiently watching her. Her companion sat on the roof of the car next to them, bouncing her leg and obviously trying to ignore the droning beeping.

For this step, she needed to summon her chisel. Ruby pulled out the battery wire first, stripping the ends quickly with her blade and twisting them together, and next with the ignition wire. Buttons on the center panel lit up dimly. She had done that part right.

"Is that good?" Aquamarine asked, shouting over the pesky siren.

"Yeah, but that's not all." She pulled aside the starter wire and stripped it carefully. She wasn't here to get destabilized. Slowly, she moved the connected battery wire and starter wire to barely touch. It sparked fantastically. She revved the engine a few times, crossing her fingers that everything would run smoothly. 

And the vehicle was on! But unfortunately, so was the alarm.

"Ruby, why isn't it off yet?" Aquamarine whined.

"Just give me a minute!" Ruby sorted through the jungle of wires, searching frantically for the one corresponding to the alarm. After much too many beeps, the found the right one, yanking it harshly, right out of the panel. They both breathed a sigh of relief when the sound subsided. 

“There. We’ve got a vehicle.” She announced proudly. 

Aquamarine fluttered in through the now perpetually open window, sitting casually back onto Ruby’s head. “At this rate, no one will suspect a thing!” She added gleefully. “Now let’s get our vehicle out of this building.”

“On it!” Ruby replied eagerly.

Chapter Text

Wind rushed through her hair as they flew down the street. Horns and shouts and curses were blaring at them, completely unfiltered by the lack of a window. Their front end had been torn to scrap while they slowly crept their way out of the building. Not to mention the other vehicles they hit in their sporadic, clumsy escape. Clumsy escapes were turning out as a pattern for the two.

Aquamarine was howling as they swerved abruptly. She narrowly missed obstacles. The control she had on this steering wheel was in no way comparable to a ship. Not a single way.

“Hahaha!” Aquamarine was doubling over laughing. “You’re so bad at this!” She breathed between fits of unsympathetic laughter.

Ruby gritted her teeth frustratedly. “You try doing this!” She growled.

She had to quiet her brash laughter to retort. “I can’t reach the pedals!” She whined. Sighing heavily she continued, “How about we both drive. Here, I’ll steer and you hit the pedals.” Aquamarine squirmed out of her seat and onto the flat center console, toes just above Ruby’s thighs. She had to stretch to turn the wheel, but she seemed to make due. Ruby grumbled but inevitably backed down. Piloting was never her primary job, anyway.

Aquamarine didn’t take long to pick it up. Her movements were less severe than Ruby’s, only slightly easing into the curves, rather than turning sharply and scaring away pedestrians and feathered grey birds that lazed about the street. 

“See? Cooperation, Bea.” She lectured.

Ruby had to laugh. “Yeah, you’re the shining example of cooperation.”

Aquamarine’s flickering cyan eyes bored into the vehicle ahead of them. “I can cooperate.”

She rolled her eye, like any sane gem who has ever met Aquamarine would. “Aqua, Rubies cooperate better than most gems. I'm a soldier. Believe me, I know cooperation. You’re not exactly easy to work with.”

She stiffened and gripped the wheel tighter. “What do you mean?”

Ruby paused for a moment. She thought about her Ruby squad, what had made their dynamic work. How did they complete missions efficiently?

Though annoying and endlessly scatterbrained, they had worked well together. They all were equals, operating under a leader, contributing to the mission prioritized over showing up someone else. Ruby had grown attached to them at some point, through painstakingly earning her stupid-tolerance. But she couldn't say she was much better. First getting fooled by a pretend Jasper, then losing her best opportunity to shatter Rose Quartz-

She shook the thought out of her head, knots of curls frizzing out around her vision of the road, before swiftly being swept away with the wind. It didn't matter if those traitors beat her once because they couldn't beat her now. She and Aquamarine were back for revenge, and then it wouldn't matter anymore. She turned her focus back to said gem, who fidgeted nervously in the stretching silence. Her fingertips drummed against the worn-down wheel. Every few moments, her eyes landed on Ruby, before slinking back towards the road. When Ruby finally spoke, her eyes rested on her, stoic and chosen expressionless.

“Well, you don’t work together, you try to command. And that doesn’t work when you’re equal components to a plan." She started. "You're not the leader here. We both are. Sure, you might know what to do, but you have to effectively communicate that to me."

Aquamarine’s eyebrows crinkled and screwed, scrunching up her blank expression like a paper ball. “I’m an Aquamarine! Specifically made for  leading  planetary missions. That’s what I was made for! And Rubies were made to take it."

“Well, are we doing that now?” Ruby snapped back. Aquamarine darted her eyes away, stoney silent for minutes. They drove without saying a word.

They had been getting on so well. If she hadn’t spoken, maybe they would be still. But Ruby had to say it. They couldn't do this if they'd end up collapsing when it counts. Even if her regret mounted higher by the drawn-out, staggering seconds. She kept her gaze low.

But then Aquamarine surprised her. 

“Maybe I could work on it.” 

“Really?” Ruby glanced up at her skeptically.

She sighed and stared into the street thoughtfully. “I suppose you’re right,” Aquamarine paused and fixed herself. “No, you are right. This is Era 3. We have to adapt, whether we want to or not. And if working on teamwork and whatever can get us to our goal then it’s in our best interest to do so. And because… that's what friends do, right?”

Ruby smiled. Maybe they could make this work. “So we should work on our goal,” She decided. “Let’s get this scrap pile back to Delmarva.”

Aquamarine smiled back softly, face relaxing from it’s shielding scowl. “Back to Delmarva!”

***

Driving began to get harder, as traffic slowed to barely a crawl. Ruby had to time herself carefully. Who knows what would happen if they were to crash into a human. Their flimsy bodies were so fragile and easily combustible. Ruby had heard, you can kill them completely if you even just stab them. How these pitiful things managed to survive this long, she’d never guess. 

The buildings that once stood extremely close together and tall were now breaking off into dense clumps of buildings, each separated by wide and tightly knit streets. Farther back on the horizon was a gaping opening into an underwater tunnel, an oddly impressive sight on a primitive planet like Earth. They had landed on a connected peninsula, though further toward the disconnected end. That’d be their quickest bet to make it onto the mainland.

The two made casual conversation, keeping it light. Ruby kept what they said earlier in her mind. Aquamarine, if reluctantly, agreed to try. There was no way they could take down Steven if they couldn't get along. So getting along productively was a rational first step. 

Then why did she feel so…

Weird  about it.

It definitely wasn't a bad-weird. Just an unfamiliar feeling. So inexplicable she couldn't put the words together, even just in her head. Stars be damned, everything was a jumble of emotions on this stars-forsaken planet. It’s vile.

"You know what I  am  curious about?" Aquamarine said, bringing her head back to their conversation. "Food. Humans are constantly eating. What is all the fuss about? I mean, we touched it and all as Bluebird, but we didn’t actually  eat  any. It wasn't particularly appealing."

"Well we could go to a restaurant," She suggested. "That was what they called it, right?"

"Yeah, but there's the money the humans used. I think we need to give it to them to get the food," Aquamarine explained. Homeworld had implemented a similar monetary system beginning with Era 3. It wasn't like the papers and coins on Earth. The ones that Aquamarine and her had no idea how to use. It was so much more productive before Era 3. The monetary system had been just fine before they needed “democracy” or whatever they had on Earth. And now Zircons were attempting to replace the Diamonds as “presidents.” None of it made any sense.

"How do we get money?" Ruby asked, turning toward her.

"If humans have it, maybe the human who owned this car had it," She turned herself around toward the backseat, hopping off the center console in order to fly around the already small and cramped cabin. "Take over for me for a second." 

She shuffled through the mess of a backseat. Ruby looked over her shoulder to watch her. More appearance modifiers piled up on the seats, rather worn-looking than new. She sorted through the empty containers and random items with relative disinterest until she cried out excitedly. 

"Oh, my stars!" She squeaked.

She fluttered back to the front seat, back into the passenger's seat. Wrapped in her arms was a glossy black rectangle.

"What's that?" Ruby asked. It didn't look like much of anything on the outside, from what Ruby could tell. Though looking at the road, she could only barely see it in the outskirts of her peripheral vision.

"Bea! Look inside!" Aquamarine turned the inside toward her. She glanced over to the open case.

"Holy smokes!" Stacks on stacks of dollar bills were stuffed tightly inside. In the movie, they had only used a few of the flimsy paper pieces. There had to be hundreds. "We picked the right vehicles!"

"Or maybe humans just keep money in their vehicles."

"The Greg didn't."

Aquamarine  hmmed  and began flipping through the stacks. "What do the little letters mean?"

Ruby shrugged. "I don't know how human money works." She was starting to veer out of the lane, wobbling over the painted white lines.

“Well, we’ll figure it out. And this looks like a lot of it.” She ran her hands over the papers and they ruffled under her gloves.

“Hey, Aqua?” She was swerving just enough to be worrying, a thin margin leaving close-by vehicles unscathed.

Aquamarine was still searching through the brown-black box. “Yea, Bea?”

“Aqua, a little help here.” She was curving dangerously close to a nearby silver vehicle.

“Oh, yes!” She suddenly remembered that they were both required to drive this thing. She stumbled to push the money to the floor, hopping back up over the center console, this time sliding onto Ruby’s lap. She took the wheel from her grasp. Just barely could she peer over the dash.

Ruby felt light-headed.

Aquamarine,

Was piloting, 

In her lap.

This was so...bizarre! So new, so weird. Was Aquamarine actually comfortable sitting here? And her hands. What did she do with her hands?! They hung limply as she froze, trying to figure it out.

After a moment of utter incompetence and forgetting to breathe, she wrapped her arms loosely around Aquamarine’s waist. Her only response was giving her a brief sideways glance.

How is she being so calm about this?!?!

“We should go to one of those restaurants, we can surely figure it out there,” She said, as nonchalantly as a person who’s  not  sitting in her lap right now would.

The awkward blushing and heat on her cheeks was probably the worst it’s ever been, traveling from her face to her neck. “Sounds like a great idea,” Ruby mumbled, her voice strained as she could feel her throat tightening. She was just thankful Aquamarine couldn’t see her. It boggled her mind as to why though. Because of course, it did. Cause this was Earth. The planet of flighty panic, smoldering hatred, war, and butterflies.

Aquamarine was scanning the buildings around them. “I wish I knew which ones were the restaurants. Those signs don’t mean anything legible.”

“Well, they probably mean something to humans,” Ruby remarked. “They have a whole different alphabet.”

“Why wouldn’t they just use Gemglyph?” Aquamarine scoffed.

Ruby chuckled. “How would they know Gemglyph?”

“I don’t know! But it’d be so much easier. I don’t want to learn their cruddy language.” Aquamarine squinted up towards the illuminated signs hanging above them. As the sky began to wilt from it’s clear, beaming blue, the glowing neon was strikingly bold. How long had they tried to get out of the parking building? The Earth’s sun, once burning pronounced and high above them, was now tucking itself neatly below the horizon far away, and between towering skyscrapers.

The sight resonated in her chest, the orange and pink flood of lacy speckled clouds instilling the selfsame ethereality such a city had evoked once before. “What if we learned it together?” Ruby offered.

“With our cooperation, yes?” She giggled, turning her head up to make eye contact. The glassy reflections of a golden sunset danced in her lighthearted smirk.

It was only for a heartbeat they stayed like this before Aquamarine turned away. But Ruby counted the seconds. The plastic pedal was slowly melting under her heel.

“Anyway, one of these has to be a restaurant. If we just start walking in, surely we’ll find one eventually,” Aquamarine continued. “But we can’t go in this thing.” She was slighting off towards the curb, into a space between two other vehicles, parked and inactive like the ones in the building. Ruby had to be light on the pedals, careful to slip into the gap without any reckless mistakes. They had to make a few attempts to fit perfectly, but they got it done.

Aquamarine turned to her, gesturing to turn off the engine. It took her a delayed moment, but she then scrambled to grab the wires she’d misplaced after starting it up. Untwisting the ends, the thrumming roar they’d both tuned out sputtered and died.

Aquamarine fluttered out the window, briefcase in hand and Ruby climbing out in line. There were decidedly fewer humans walking here, scattered loosely around the brick sidewalks. Each building that lined the strip had colorful decals and signs, all adorned with more human symbols. She noticed repetitive characters, though each storefront had stylized versions of the script. What they meant was beyond her.

"C'mon, we'd better start looking." Aquamarine held her by the hand with her free one and pulled them toward the nearest door.

Walking inside, this door also had a bell attached. Ruby quite liked the sound, she'd decided. The human man behind the counter looked tired, hunched over his bulky screen. "Hi, welcome to Dairy Queen," He greeted them exhaustedly.

Ruby and Aquamarine shared a questioning glance. "What's a Dairy Queen?" She whispered. Her eyes scrubbed the white tile walls, searching around the room for anything suspicious. Multicolor tiles bordered the walls inches from the ceiling, matching colors with the bare-bones metalic table setups arranged in a line against the walls. The half-wall standing in front of the employee also shared the vivid color palette. It was an odd place, for sure.

It seemed Aquamarine was also bewildered by the mention of this ‘Dairy Queen.' She whispered back, “I don’t know.” She fluttered up toward the counter, landing on the smooth stone surface covering the top. She gently placed the case next to her, with a dull  thump.  The human didn’t much seem phased by this development, as other humans had. She cleared her throat and began, “Is this a restaurant?” Ruby followed her, placing her hands on the counter and peering around the wall carefully. The screens looked normal, but the machines buzzing behind him were unusual. Still, she leaned just barely on the counter, ready to strike.

The human slowly blinked, taking a deep breath in before answering. “Yes.” He said vacantly.

Aquamarine lit up excitedly, twisting to face her companion. “Ruby, we found one on our first try! This is much easier than my previous Earth missions.” She turned back around swiftly, once again addressing the man with tired eyes, “We would like a food, please. For each of us.”

The man responded in a monotonous voice, “What kind? We have milkshakes, cones, sundaes-”

“The first one.” She hissed impatiently.

“What flavor would you like? We have Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Peanut Butter-”

“Oh!” Aquamarine chirped. “I know what peanut butter is! I’ll have that one.”

“Me too,” Ruby added.

He tapped away at his little screen, presumably a touch screen. “Mini, small, medium, large?” He asked impassively.

Ruby stifled a laugh, earning a confused glance from Aquamarine. “She’d like a mini.” Aquamarine shot her a dirty look as she cracked herself up.

The employee didn’t find much humor in her joke, either. “Will that be all?” 

Aquamarine glanced at Ruby, who simply shrugged. “I suppose.” She answered.

“That’ll be $5.98," He said blankly. 

Aquamarine knelt on the counter to open the case, shuffling through and peeling back papers until her face suddenly drooped to a pressed frown. "Okay, so," She began, "Which one of these represents 5.98?" She asked the man.

He slowly blinked, not reaching an automated response for this question. He looked between the two, suddenly aware of their presence fully. A tiny blue pixie standing on the counter and a one-eyed brick staring daggers from barely above the edge of his protective counter. Though at first, he looked a bit shocked, he very quickly fell disinterested once again. He grumbled something under his breath and pressed his face flatly into his palm. 

"Just give me a five and a one." He explained curtly.

Aquamarine furrowed her brow. "Which ones are those?" She spat.

Sighing, he pivoted the case towards himself, entirely unphased by stacks of cash inside. He pulled out two bills, each with slightly different designs. "This is a one, and this is a five." He pointed to each type of dollar respectively. Opening something behind his screen, he placed each bill into different slots and picked out two copper coins. "And this is your change."

Aquamarine nodded as she wrapped her head around the idea. "So the coins are like a decimal place. Out of a hundred, I'd assume?"

The man looked exasperated as if he'd never expect someone to ask something like this. "How did you kids even get here? Yes, one-hundred cents in a dollar." 

"Does every human on this planet think we're children?" Ruby growled. Aquamarine crossed her arms and scowled.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm just gonna go ahead and make your order."

Ruby and Aquamarine watched him turn tail towards the stocky machines lining the back walls. Then, they turned toward each other. 

"Humans all underestimate our stature. Dullards." Aquamarine hissed.

"Right?" She grumbled. She sighed as the floor sizzled beneath her feet. Ruby gestured behind her with her hand. "Wanna sit down?"

Aquamarine shrugged. She followed Ruby to a table in the corner, lugging the case behind her. As they settled down to wait, Aquamarine began to ramble. "I believe their monetary system might be simpler than I'd assumed. Though I still need to assign the other bills' values."

Ruby mildly tuned her out as she began pacing across the tabletop impatiently, still talking about coins and such. She stared at her eyes, and how they expressed so brightly when she connected her thoughts out loud. Though as she went on, she was less explaining to Ruby and more thinking to herself. Within minutes, she had stopped walking altogether and slumped into the seat across from Ruby. Her eyes were still focused and searching thin air, arms crossed and foot tapping against the leg of her chair.

“What happened?” Ruby waved her hand in front of Aquamarine’s face, earning her a reflexive swat away. 

Aquamarine looked down at her hand like it had sprouted another finger. But she didn't apologize. "I’m just questioning something. Why would humans use copper as their smallest form of currency?”

“Is that weird?”

“Well, it’s certainly illogical. It can’t be worth the production cost if it’s one one-hundredth of a dollar. Earth is certainly a rich planet in terms of minerals, but copper isn’t that abundant. It’s not like the surface is dripping with the stuff. And they could do it just as effectively with smaller or different bills. Though I suppose Earth is just a planet full of nutters” Ruby had to force herself not to lose focus. Humans could waste their resources all they wanted for all she cared. Let them use copper for stupid reasons.

“Okay, your shakes are ready,” The man from before announced. There was no one else in the building he could’ve been talking to. The cold tiles rebounded his achingly dry voice unnervingly.

Aquamarine fluttered over to grab them, cleeking one in each gloved hand. Her hand could barely wrap around the cup. But she didn’t have far to go before setting it down on the table in front of her. 

“Alright! Our first human food!” She played up a mischievous smile until she took another look at the light beige-yellow of the oddly thick liquid. Her excitement boiled down to a mildly uncomfortable half-frown, her eyebrows pressed together fretfully. “I swear if this is disgusting.”

The red plastic spoon stuck out of the substance, and Ruby apprehensively took it. 

The smooth consistency scooped without much resistance. She turned the spoon in her hand, watching it slide off, and plop back into the sandy-mud colored goop. “Can we actually eat this stuff?”

“I suppose we must try,” She shuttered watching it drip back down into Ruby’s cup. “To infiltrate the humans!” Aquamarine quickly shoveled a spoonful into her mouth before she could forcibly stop herself. 

After a moment of screwing her eyes shut and waiting, her eyes shot open excitedly. She smiled as Ruby had never seen before. “Oh, my stars!” Her eyes were glittery as she hopped onto the table enthusiastically. “Ruby it’s amazing!”

Ruby was baffled that anything could make Aquamarine this exuberant. She wasn’t exactly the playful, bubbly type. So Ruby had to find out for herself. And by her first bite, she immediately understood.

The taste was absolutely unheard of. Granted, she hadn’t tasted much. Or at all, if we’re being honest. But this wasn’t what she thought it’d be like. It was a physical embodiment of  sweet.  Once an unexplained, and honestly unappealing adjective, it made sense now. This was astounding. 

"Oh my stars," She whispered. 

"Exactly!" Aquamarine said, halfway through another mouthful.

"You were so right to come here."

"Humans are so right to eat!"

They ate their helpings in record time after that. 

They sat at the table, quiet in the aftermath. A cold sting sat in the center of Ruby's forehead. It circled the edge of her gem. The feeling was not the great discovery the milkshakes had originally been.

Aquamarine spoke first. "That was marvelous," She said. 

Ruby groaned, her head pounding. "I don't know… It made my head hurt." She rubbed her eye.

The man from behind the counter hollered from his station. "That's a brain freeze! That's what happens when you eat something cold in," He looked at his wrist, "One minute and 34 seconds."

"I don't feel anything," Aquamarine said. "But this was smart! We now have experience with human food. Maybe we could figure out how to give Steven a  brain freeze… " 

Ruby rubbed her temples. It was so good when it was in her mouth. How had it betrayed her like this? Speaking of which, where had it even gone?

She didn't have much time to ponder, as Aquamarine began to flutter off from the table. She jumped up to follow her, sprinting toward the door.

"Hey wait!" The man from before called out. "You have to clean-" 

Aquamarine closed the door on him swiftly, before pausing to think about what he might have said. She turned herself back around, hovering right by the edge of the glass door while observing him curiously. “What’s he yelling about?” Ruby watched what she did from the ground. He looked between the two of them, and then said something muffled by the door. He looked begrudgingly toward them, before going over to the table they sat at. He picked up their cup and dropped them into one of the large, plastic bins scattered around the building.

Ruby and Aquamarine looked at each other, both realizing that they were probably supposed to do that. 

"Well, how were we supposed to know that?" Aquamarine defended out loud. 

Ruby giggled and they trotted back to their vehicle.

***

As the stars began to scatter against the backdrop of a polished-black sky, the two had found themselves in a much different part of the world. Originally, the tunnel had come out to a rather diluted, muted cityscape. It was much more reminiscent of what Ruby had expected Earth to be like after the war. Dust unsettled, thick with grime and pollution. But out here, the air was clear, and the night was dark.

The trees that lined their path were shrouding the bit of strategic moonlight they had. Ruby couldn't see well, and Aquamarine couldn't have been faring much better. But the sky was pretty, and if it got much darker, she could always use her gem to illuminate the road. So they stayed in the serene darkness for a little while longer. 

Hours of silence passed between the two after they had gotten past the city limits. There wasn't much they had to say or direct, just working in tandem quietly. Only the occasional human passed them on the road. 

Ruby was the first to say something in an unknown amount of miles. "Do you want to sleep again tonight?"

Aquamarine shrugged. "I don't have a problem with it. Besides, if it gets any later we'll be blind." Together, after a few wobbly tries, they pulled off toward the side of the road. Ruby once again had to manually untwist the wires that kept the car humming and alive. It whined and slowed to a stop before she spoke again. "You think the things in the back could be comfortable to sleep on?" She suggested.

"Why would they be?" 

"They're not made of brick, Bea," Aquamarine deadpanned.

The smaller gem fluttered briefly, laying out fabric pieces flat and neatly layered. When she held them midair, they fell far below her feet. Sometimes they'd be too long for her to lift properly, and she'd attempt however she could to grab both ends. She then backtracked, throwing pieces back and forth. It became a cycle until she eventually saw fit. Ruby stayed out of her way.

"There," Aquamarine said softly, "A nest of sorts." She patted the pile with a gloved palm, gesturing Ruby to lay first.

She had to climb and wriggle her way to the backseat, but she managed. She spread out sideways on the mat, barely reaching each side and facing the windshield. If she were any taller, she’d had to fold her knees. But for now, she fit rather snuggly into the backseat. Aquamarine had been right. These sleeping arrangements were much more comfortable than the rooftop.

Aquamarine once again fit her slight frame into a small spot, this time resting in the bend of her torso, head resting against her chest. It was near identical to how they drove, though turned on their side. The water gem shifted and squirmed, but she settled in time. 

“Goodnight, Bea,” She whispered.

“Goodnight, Aqua,” She whispered back.

But Ruby did not sleep. 

For hours. 

Aquamarine did, she could tell from the little flutters of her lashes as she dreamed. Her soft snores were a lower register than how she spoke, murmurs as pygmy as the gem they arose from. She dozed calmly for a long time, or a long time according to Ruby. But Ruby simply stayed awake, watching her partner’s eyes move beneath their lids. Sleep came easier to her before, but now… Something was different. 

She felt the urge for fresh air. A moment to breathe. 

Slowly and cautiously, she worked her way around Aquamarine’s sleeping form. Quietly slithering out of the vehicle, and climbing up the hood. She sat down heavily on the roof, a harsh groan escaping the rusty mess of a vehicle. It was old and weathered. Like her.

Earlier today, what Aquamarine had said. ‘ I’ll have you know I’m hundreds of years older than you.’  That’s how she said it. With a cockney accent and snide arrogance. How she tended to say most things. Was she not even a thousand years old? Ruby barely remembered when she was that young. How old was she now? She had to fall somewhere around ten-thousand now. But she’d never recall the exact number.

She stared at the glimmering stars shining overhead. Homeworld was out there somewhere. Would any of what they were doing bring it back? She needed the purpose, she needed a reason to act. The empire gave that to her. The stability, and the structure. Everything made sense. But nothing made sense anymore. 

Before her thoughts ran any further, the gentle wet flap of wings alerted her to Aquamarine’s presence. 

“What are you doing out here?” Her voice was irritated, but not angry. 

Ruby looked away as the blue gem landed beside her. “Sorry, I just couldn’t sleep. How’d you know I was awake?”

“I was cold. Is something wrong?”

“Just, thinking about stuff,” She quickly explained. “Don’t worry about it.”

Aquamarine’s look of disapproval burned into the side of her head. “You can talk about it, you know. If there’s any gem who’d understand, it’d probably be me.”

“But is it really?” Ruby snapped around to face her, taking the blue gem by surprise. “What you said earlier today. About being hundreds of years old? Are you not even a thousand?”

She looked confused, but relatively unphased by the question. “No, I’m not.” 

“Aquamarine, we are so different! You’re barely out of kindergarten!”

She huffed and crossed her arms. “I’m six-hundred-sixty-two. Not some dimwitted newbie.”

“I’m ten-thousand.”

Aquamarine blinked. Her eyes and wings both reflected the shimmering galaxy looming above them. Ruby could get lost staring at her. “Really?” 

Ruby nodded. They both held their tongue as she sorted through her mangled, conflicting thoughts. “You never even saw the war. You don’t even have a weapon.”

“Most gems today haven’t,” She breathed quietly.

“I saw all of it.”

“I know.”

“But you don’t,” Ruby growled. “Everything horrible that happened was for nothing. Hundreds of thousands of gems shattered for their own Diamond masquerading make-believe. And now the entire system is trashed, because of the very gem that started it.”

Her voice cracked. Scalding tears rolled down her cheek. 

A soft hand wiped them away.

Aquamarine’s hand lingered on her cheek. “I know, Ruby. Everything about this is wrong.” She firmly turned her face toward hers, strong, fierce eyes sparkling in the fine moonlight. “We’re going to make this right. Together.”

“Together,” She repeated quietly. She leaned into Aquamarine’s hand, her gem softly grazed by her hand. 

Her eye closed as she took in trembling breaths. Aquamarine was gelid to the touch, but a welcome distraction from the heat rising in her chest. It burned hotter every intimate second they stood transfixed with each other.

“Let’s go back to sleep for tonight, okay?” Aquamarine finally whispered. Ruby nodded, blinking open her eye, letting it adjust to the dim night. The smaller gem led her back down from the metal roof, down through the window and back into their “bed”.

She held Aquamarine in her arms tightly, holding onto her words.  Together.  She wanted to be together with her. It wasn’t long before the light snores and murmurs began to fall from Aquamarine’s unconscious mouth, as adorable as they had been before.

She wanted to be with Aquamarine, she thought. It curled her lips to a gentle smile.

And then she fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Ruby’s mouth felt dry as she slowly blinked herself alive. The sunlight that fell gracefully in through the window was tinged teal from the gradient turquoise glaze painted on the glass above her. The hazy yellow-green light that streamed down onto her gem was warm, but not easy on the early morning eye. She looked around her, only to be met with Aquamarine, once again still sleeping. She was cuddled closely into her arms, face buried in her uniform. The light that fell on her was the same gentle azure color as her gem. Ruby leaned her head back against the maroon colored linen that felt fuzzy on the back of her neck.

Dust floated around slowly, a soft blur of tiny particles dancing above their closely huddled forms. She felt like she could slip right back into sleep. But watching Aquamarine's steady breaths was incentive enough to stay awake.

In, and out.

There was the frustrating blush again.

Last night was a bit of a tangled mess in her head. She had cried. It had to have been millennia since she cried in front of another gem. But with Aquamarine, she had felt so safe. So vulnerable. It was odd to think that she was the vulnerable one to the gem she held so tightly in her arms.

It was maybe an Earth hour before Aquamarine began to stir. Ruby had to blink herself awake a second time. She'd barely noticed that she was dozing off. 

The tiny gem grumbled weakly as she opened her eyes. Though it was mostly futile, given she was all but flat against her chest. Ruby watched her as she realized what she was looking at, and then glanced up at her.

"What are you looking at?" She spat drowsily. Her half-lidded gaze was beautiful navy blue, already full of energy. First thing in the morning she was still spitfire and spiteful.

Ruby suddenly felt embarrassed. She'd actually stared at her for an hour. Was she cracked or something? "I just didn't want to wake you," She hurried to explain.

As quickly as the moment began, Aquamarine pushed herself up. She held her hand above her eyes as she stared out the window next to them. The sun bled in from just above the peaks of the trees. "Well, thank you." She stood perched on top of Ruby's stomach. "I suppose it's time to get back on the road." 

She took a leap from her belly and off to the center console. It kicked the air out of her harshly. "Watch it!" Ruby growled.

Aquamarine ignored her flippantly and fluttered up to the dangling wires that were left below the wheel. She glared at them stubbornly like Steven's face was taped to the loose ends. "How did you get these things to work, Bea? I wasn’t paying attention whenever you did it."

Ruby groaned as she propped herself up on her elbows. Her arms were tight and her neck sore. A specific spot above her shoulder blade was especially painful when she moved her neck. She may be regretting the cramped compartment. She stretched out her form, pulling each arm across her chest with the other, before answering, "Let me show you."

She climbed over the divider and plopped down into the seat. The slate-gray fabric upholstery below her squeaked as she slid. Aquamarine landed lightly on her lap, observing her hands work. The simple action felt much more natural now. Though Ruby’s head was basically on Aquamarine’s shoulder, given she couldn’t see much around her.

She pulled aside the pair of red wires first, relatively unphased by their positions, and choosing to focus on explaining instead. "You see, these are the battery wires. They're the first ones you have to twist together." Aquamarine nodded and let Ruby place them into her hands.

It was a short moment that their hands touched. Her silk gloves were so delicate. Barely could her whole hand compare to Ruby's palm. It made her feel clumsily oversized in comparison. Staring at them, hand in hand quietly. She knew she'd lingered a bit too long when Aquamarine pulled her’s away. 

Aquamarine struggled to grip them properly for a moment, but she soon figured it out, twisting them together loosely. "Maybe a bit tighter, but you've got the idea." Aquamarine furrowed her eyebrows and twisted them again, firmer this time.

Ruby then picked out the ignition wire. "And add this one," She instructed, as she handed Aquamarine the brown coated wire.

Aquamarine fiddled with the three wires. Her nimble hands were careful and cautious, and progressively more frustrated as she continued to fluster. But her face quickly lit up in time with the glowing red buttons on the dash.

"I did it!" She beamed triumphantly, sitting up excitedly.

"Not quite," Ruby had to hold in a snicker.

Aquamarine's face scrunched up again. "Damnit." She whispered. She slumped back down.

Ruby held in a chuckle before moving on, next pulling aside the yellow starter wires. "Now for this step you've gotta be careful. If you touch a live wire, you could destabilize your form." 

Aquamarine drew back from the running wires, hair flattening against Ruby's chest. "It's nothing to be scared of," She reassured her tiny companion. "Just a little careful."

She straightened her back again, sitting confidently. 

"These wires you just need to tap together," She explained, readying her feet on the pedals.

Aquamarine took them tentatively. She inched them together slowly. Little sparks flew as they touched, Aquamarine visibly flinching at a barely noticeable buzz. Ruby didn’t hesitate to rev the engine a couple of times, hearing it hum rather roughly to life.

“Did I do it this time?” Aquamarine asked slanted.

“Sure did.” Ruby tested the wheel. When they had been escaping the parking deck, they had trouble with getting it to even budge slightly. Ruby could admit she might have been… What’s a good word for it? Violent with the steering wheel. Whatever lock had bothered them during their attempt to leave the concrete tower must’ve been broken for good because she didn’t feel any more resistance. Thankfully.

Aquamarine looked mighty pleased with herself. She crossed her arms, proudly puffing out her chest. “I knew I could do it,” She remarked snarkily.

Ruby thought about how easily she could’ve dissipated herself trying to figure it out alone. She smiled and shook her head. “We should get back on the road.”

Aquamarine nodded and shuffled into a comfortable steering position, before Ruby moved the switch to her right, pushing it into place for drive.

***

The pair drove for a seemingly endless morning, watching the sun rise over them from the east. It dappled the dash through the dense barriers of thick leaves that boxed in the road they followed. Ruby marked it mentally every so often, noticing it inch westward, before crowning directly above them, where she couldn’t see it. Based on how it seemed to trail behind them, they had to be heading westward also. 

Whether or not that's where Beach City was, she couldn’t say from memory. However, Aquamarine seemed content on going this way, and she was constantly bragging about her supposedly perfect memory. She’d probably know how to start this vehicle for eons. So Ruby assumed they were in good hands.

Her mind wandered, but never far from Aquamarine. Daydreams of which she wouldn't speak aloud. She seemed to daydream a lot in her life. Always of other gems, of companionship. Which makes it odd that she's daydreaming now. She had companionship. But she still dreamed of more. 

What more could she want? She knew humans had their relationships, and she'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it, but she was a gem. A soldier at that. She shouldn't be thinking like this.

But her mind explored as it pleased, anyway.

It had been a few peaceful hours of this when suddenly, a tall brown animal leaped into the road in front of them. It stopped dead in its tracks not 30 feet in front of them.

Aquamarine squealed in fear. She hid her face and curled against Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby snapped back into reality, slamming on the brakes as fast as she could, the vehicle screeching to a dangerous halt. The car stopping threw them both forward, Ruby having only moments to attempt and protect Aquamarine from the wheel. Luckily, as they recoiled and drew away from their impromptu embrace, Aquamarine seemed okay, if a bit shaken.

"What the fuck is that?" She shrieked.

It stared directly through their windshield. Its little doey eyes were shining, frozen in place. It had a robust body with spindly quadrupedal legs. Lithe ribs were barely visible through coarse dusty-brown fur. A fairly basic, unremarkable animal. Not an inch of muscle even dared to move, almost as if turned to stone. 

"It has to be some kind of organic," She explained, though she was rather confused herself. It's unnerving eyes burned into her. "It looks so… ugly." She pulled her arms instinctively back around Aquamarine, who was quick to brush them away.

"I'll show that measly thing what's what," She grumbled angrily, grabbing at the edges of the window and pulling herself up.

"Aqua, what if it's dangerous?"

"It can't hurt me, look at it. It's some useless organic! And a stupid one if it thinks it's stronger than us," She hissed.

She spread her wings and took off out the window, pretending she had never been scared in the first place. Droplets splattered on Ruby's cheek as she scarcely ducked out of a rude slap across the face.

Before she knew it, the petite gem stood on the hood of the car. Ruby could only see her back, unyielding and headstrong. Her eye was wide as she watched her mouth off. "Hey, you festering organic!" She yelled. "Move, you manky twit!"

It's blank eyes looked glazed and unseeing for a moment. Ruby stood very still, hoping it didn't charge. Until the organic finally unfroze, sprinting on wiry legs back into the thick woods in the blink of an eye. Aquamarine turned toward her, hands on her hips and sneering.

"You see? That pebble has nothing on me!" She boasted loudly.

Ruby stared at where the animal had rushed off into the woods.

Aquamarine smirked as she floated back into the vehicle. "That prick of an organic was harmless!"

"What if it had been aggressive?" Ruby didn't want to think if it had been anything like other organics she'd faced. Uncolonized planets were homing beacons for predators and aggressors. Seeing jaws snap around a gem and scurry off, never to be seen again, changes a gem. That had been a fine Ruby.

"Well, it obviously wasn't." She retorted pointedly.

You could've gotten hurt! Ruby wanted to shout back. But she knew better, and she bit down on her cheek.

Ruby sighed and waited for Aquamarine to get comfortably situated with how they were previously sitting. Her hands gripped her wheel tightly. "Let's carry on," She sighed, prompting Ruby to hit the gas. The car accelerated, and they were back to quiet driving as if they hadn’t seen a thing.

***

Ruby didn't have to do much in the way of watching the road. Attempting to keep her eye peeled for more organics, her gaze wandered to the shrubbery lining the highway. Just because that one wasn't a threat doesn't mean others aren't.

Green leaves were an overabundance, clusters growing from every nook and cranny of the landscape. It painted a mosaic of veridian and golden sun. In higher places, lilac purple blossoms were a swathed blur as they sped past. The wind that rushed through the shattered window was harsh but welcome. The sounds of the engine and the wind were louder than her thoughts. 

The sun rose over them, shifting from directly above them, to just a few degrees ahead. It hadn't yet inhibited their ability to see, just a slight glare if you stared too far ahead. So Ruby kept her eyes low, searching.

A pathway parting from the main road caught her attention. "What's over there?" She pulled her hand from Aquamarine's waist to point into the distance. 

The fork in the road was the same pavement they were on right now, diverging right from their unbending path. A generic green sign marked the entry, though neither could read it. It had to be a human-made location. Aquamarine turned the wheel slightly toward the branch. “Shall we find out?” She proposed eagerly.

Ruby pushed into the gas pedal. The connected pathway led them up a sloping hill. The wheels ran over bumps quickly, shooting them up a few feet, before slamming back down unceremoniously. She let up her speed as they rolled on rougher terrain into a small parking lot.

A simple rectangular building was standing in the back of the rather plain lot. Its walls were worn, it's windows cluttered with wires, grim, and anything else you might happen upon. Smaller boxes littered the sidewalk that extended a few feet from the entry. Outside the tiny patch of gravel, thick forest entrapped them, a far cry from the blatant omittance of such growth in the city. Personally, Ruby preferred the cityscape. It had been breathtaking, elegant, and sophisticated. Everything she saw in Homeworld. Everything she saw in the eyes of the little blue hellfire that sat in her lap.

Nearer to them than the storefront was a true oddity; Thin metal poles were holding up a rusted overhang. Between each set of poles were clunky machines, with individual interfaces. Their rudimentary screens flashed adverts in bold colors, but she couldn’t make out what they said. Maybe 15 yards from the overhang, another sign with unreadable human symbols stood about as high if a bit taller.

Aquamarine's eyes searched the strange lot with curiosity. Ruby watched her scan the perimeter numerous times, darting from each new item to the next. She pulled them into one of the spaces along the edge of the parking lot, telling Ruby to park. "What is this place?" She wondered aloud.

Ruby looked to the only other vehicle here. A silver vehicle, roughly the same size and shape of their own. Though it's detailing varied greatly. Where their’s sloped down in the front without interruption, this one’s hood was tiered in an unusual fashion, with a prominent grill flat on the front. "It looks like someone else is here." 

"You think we should go inside?" Aquamarine asked. 

Ruby squirmed, looking back and forth between the rundown building and the road that led them out of the parking lot and presumably back to the longer road. She had to admit, venturing into human society had been fun. "Definitely," She hoped this place had something good inside.

“Yes! This could be an important human location. We might need to know about it!” Aquamarine pointed out. "And, if there is a human here, maybe we can ask for directions to Beach City.”

"Wait, let me show you how to turn off the car first," Ruby stopped Aquamarine before she flew away.

"Oh, yes! Show me."

"It's easy really," She said, switching the lever to her side to the top notch. She pulled away the bundle of twisted battery and ignition wires. "Just untwist these ones."

"That's simple," Aquamarine took it from her, her tiny fingers prying them from each other swiftly. The car sputtered to a stop, the lights that lit up earlier going dark. She still looked delighted with herself for doing something so simple.

"Do you think we'll need the money?" The tiny blue gem asked, glancing toward the briefcase sitting on the floor of the passenger seat.

Ruby shrugged. "We might."

"I'll bring it in case."

Aquamarine jumped down to the floor, taking it by the handle. She opened her wings to land on Ruby's legs. She held the case by two hands, the bottom resting on her toes.

"Onward then! To the…" She paused and her eyes scrutinized the building, "Rickety little shack thing." She sounded less and less enthusiastic as she went along.

Ruby quickly picked back up the momentum. "Onward!" She scooped up her tiny companion tightly and hopped out of the window. She landed on her feet, dirt and gravel kicking up dust underneath.

Aquamarine wriggled in her arms. "Let go of me this instant," She hissed. Ruby obliged before she materialized her wings, once again avoiding cold slap. She fluttered up to Ruby's head, landing on the fluffy pillow, case in her lap. For the first time, Ruby noticed how quickly her hair had gotten re-tangled. It had only been two days since Aquamarine had made it feel so soft and clean. How had she done it? Maybe she could get her to do it again.

"Whatever," She brushed off her scolding, starting toward the entrance.

"What do you think is in there?" Aquamarine asked her.

Ruby didn't know too many examples of human locations that this building could hold. "You think it's a restaurant, too?"

Aquamarine scoffed. "Not all the buildings are gonna be restaurants, Bea."

"But it could be!" She defended herself, as they walked in the door. 

The bell that rang above them seemed audibly muffled by the heavy air inside. The ceiling stood maybe a foot above where Aquamarine's head was. Shelves were stocked well above her head with human items she'd never even seen. 

Ruby paused to take it all in. The cluttered mess and weird lingering smell she couldn't quite place. The bright fluorescent lights that were somehow much too dim at the same time. Not to mention they flickered incessantly. A similar, but notably different counter was situated to their right. It wasn't open, instead, glass boxed in the employee that was slouched over the counter. The panels had snippets and clippings of paper littering the surface. Even the counter was a patchwork of cards and symbols. It was a jumbled and weird mess.

"Well I certainly wasn't expecting this," Aquamarine whispered, almost to herself.

"The other ones didn't look like this," Ruby grumbled. She slowly started forward toward the racks. 

They walked together through the overflowing aisles. They all housed similar packages, presumably with something of importance inside. 

Aquamarine plucked one off the rack, observing it in her hands. It made a rattling sound every time she turned it over. Crinkling plastic noises followed, along with grunts of effort. "Bea, I can't open it." She dangled the package in front of her face like a mischievous cat. 

Ruby took it curiously. It had an array of colored stripes and labels, presumably explaining whatever made the rattling noise inside. After a few attempts to assess the best option, she took each end with one hand and tugged harshly. It burst into tiny pellets, spraying tiny shells into her face.

Aquamarine giggled, “I suppose that’s one way to do it.”

Tiny pieces littered the floor. She pulled one out of her hair and flicked it away annoyedly. She assumed she had missed a few, given the stifled laughs Aquamarine could barely hold in. Her cheeks got warm, and the seeds sizzled beneath her heels.

“Here, I’ll get them,” Aquamarine said without being prompted. Her amusement still toyed in her voice. But she quickly plucked individual black-and-white striped pellets from her hair, smoothing out the strands that they burrowed in. Ruby continued on into the store while Aquamarine busied herself. She had to admit, she enjoyed Aquamarine taking care of her like this. But not out loud of course.

The seeds crunched under her feet as she walked, though as she exited the aisle they seemed to have left the mess behind. On the back wall, rows of bottles were in formation behind a thin barrier of glass. They came in a range of colors, from striking green-yellow to a dark almost-black brown. Neither made a comment on them. In the door’s reflection, she could stare at Aquamarine’s face of concentration as she detangled the knots of curls on her head. Her tongue stuck out between her teeth in focus. Every once in a while she’d pull too hard, but it was never purposeful, and never for long.

Ruby watched her smile proudly as she realized she'd pulled out the last bit of shrapnel. She looked back ahead, only for her face to fall to one of confusion. Whatever she happened to look at was definitely odd.

“Bea, look at this,” Aquamarine pointed toward the back wall.

Peeling her eyes from the little gem’s reflection, she scanned the opposite wall of the store. A large machine was mounted against the wall, humming furiously. Four circular panels showed bright colors of some kind of liquid. One was bright blue, the second red, and the last two a deep brown. It looked similar to the milkshakes but certainly different. Even the machines resembled the mechanical beasts behind the counter at the Dairy Queen.

“What about it?” 

“I wanna try it,” She said. Stupidly excited curiosity lit up her voice. 

Ruby hastened her steps toward it. What if this was another restaurant? It was entirely possible. Though it probably meant whatever they spilled had been food too. In that case, it was a weird food and could never be as good as milkshakes.

From up close, she could see the faint outline of blades running through the blue and red slush. She couldn’t exactly describe it's texture. She placed a cautious hand on the clear plastic. It was cold to the touch.

Ruby looked between the buzzing machine and Aquamarine. “Alright then,” The eager gem took flight from where she sat, leaving the briefcase flat on her head. She had to be careful to avoid the low ceilings. Ruby took the briefcase from her head and slumped it against the wall under the machines.

Alongside the hefty machines were stacks of cups, similar to the ones that held the milkshakes. She pulled out 2 of the largest size and handed one to Ruby. The one she held was wrapped in both arms and roughly the size of her entire torso. She fluttered up to the black plastic nozzle attached to the machine holding the red liquid. 

She placed the cup underneath the opening. With one hand she tested the handle, first pushing it away. She grumbled when that didn't seem to yield any results. With her next attempt, she pulled it down toward her. She gasped and smiled with delight as the red slush poured into her cup. 

Ruby copied her movements, under the blue machine next to her. It smelled artificially sweet, like chemicals. The milkshakes hadn't, but she had judged them at first too. The whirring of the machines was loud and abrasive. She was quick to shut it off when the flimsy plastic cup was full. 

She turned back to Aquamarine, who's eyes were glittering as she stared into the icy beverage. She scooped a bit of slush with her finger, tasting it off her glove. 

"You've gotta try this Bea," She grinned as she savored the taste. Ruby savored the contented, happy look in Aquamarine’s eyes.

Ruby leaned down to lick from the top of the cup. It tasted like it smelled, like chemicals and artificial flavoring. But it tasted even sweeter than the milkshake. Aquamarine had a knack for this food stuff. 

Crystals of ice melted quickly on her tongue. It was a strange feeling. She hmmed as the last bit of ice dissolved. She swallowed the sugar-water happily.

"This would be a good time to ask the employee about directions. We probably have to pay for these while we're at it." Aquamarine gestured toward the briefcase on the floor awkwardly, with a little kick, unable to use her hands.

Ruby nodded quietly, attempting to not giggle at her stubby little limbs and general inability to function with average-sized objects. She scooped up the handle with her free hand and followed her flying companion toward the entrance.

She hadn’t taken much notice of the woman behind the counter when they had walked in. Frizzy light orange hair shot up from the low-hanging messy bun she had attempted to contain it in. Most of her appearance was just as disheveled as her hair, consisting of an unremarkable T-shirt with a number of mysterious stains. 

Aquamarine spoke first, still clutching her cup like a frosty, delicious lifeline. “Excuse me,” She said, in a high pitched, unassuming voice. “How much are these?”

The girl behind the counter put on a tired, gentle smile. “Two Slurpees? Six dollars.”

Aquamarine smiled. "Six dollars? That's what we gave the Dairy Queen!" She put her 'Slurpee' down on the counter, and Ruby hoisted the case up next to it. The ginger-haired human behind the counter recoiled at the sight. Aquamarine didn't notice. She flipped open the rusted metal latches, pulling the case open above her head. 

She sorted through the piles for the two bills she'd given the man last time. "A five… and a one," She whispered to herself as she collected them.

She shut the case quickly. It made a loud fwump as it slammed closed. Aquamarine held out six dollars to the woman, who took it cautiously. Her eyes darted suspiciously between the two, and then the briefcase. "Where did you get this?" She asked them.

Aquamarine quickly replied, "It's ours," She smirked with plastic innocence.

The woman's eyes narrowed. She inspected the bills carefully before she put them inside the clunky register in front of her. "Anything else?" She asked narrowly.

"Yes actually," Aquamarine said, dropping the hidden malice in her voice. "Do you know how to get to Beach City?"

The employee looked at them confused. "You mean Empire City? Cause that's toward where you came from."

Aquamarine sighed and rolled her eyes. "No, Beach City. Where Little Homeschool is? I believe it's in Delmarva," She explained curtly.

The employee rolled her eyes right back. "Never heard of it. But Delmarva is in the opposite direction and south from here. If you go back the way you came and turn south, you should find it."

Ruby and Aquamarine cast sideways glances at each other, confirming what they were both thinking. They stared at each other for a moment. Aquamarine was just as shocked as she was.

Ruby snapped back to her and barked, "You mean we were going in the wrong direction?!" She banged her fist on the counter.

The girl's hand jerked away. "I'm sorry, but I'm not really-"  Aquamarine fluttered up with a stern expression on her face. Her arms were crossed and her eyes were narrow, and she immediately cut off whatever the woman was about to say.

"No matter that. We have another thing to ask," She hissed. Her eyes were transfixed on the poor girl, clinical and searching behind her scared little eyes. Ruby opened her mouth to interject but was silenced by a single raised hand. "What is this odd establishment, anyway?"

The woman blinked, a befuddled but undeniably relieved look on her face. "Here? It's a gas station. For cars and stuff," She answered. She still sounded a bit frightened of the pixie gems intensity. It was impressive how intimidating such a small, cute thing could be. Her stature was irrelevant when she slyly twisted verbal thorn vines around her selected prey, eyes glowing with a sleek poison unique to her.

But that venom was gone when she blinked again. Her menacing persona was dropped on a dime like it was never there at all. She quickly backed away, laughing to herself, "Oh! Why didn't I think of that? That makes perfect sense." She hopped down to the counter, picking up the locked case and walking back to Ruby. Ruby reached around her to grab her Slurpee.

"Anything you'd like to say?" She prompted her suddenly. Immediately she blanked on anything important to say. So Ruby shook her head no and Aquamarine turned back around to the ginger-haired employee. "Many apologies for that. We'll be off then!"

She stared at them with a blankly flabbergasted face at whatever had just happened. Aquamarine led the way out of the building, a little bell jingling behind them, as the employee watched slack-jawed.

When she heard the door shut behind them, Ruby let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding in. “Holy crap, Aqua!” She gasped.

Aquamarine smiled casually like she wasn’t an absolutely terrifying she-devil with wings. “What?” 

“Why did you do that to her?”

Aquamarine shrugged. “Her questions were annoying, and those machines are suspicious.” She glared at the metal columns as they were walking under the overhang. “Though I suppose I was a bit harsh.”

Ruby scoffed. “You think?”

Ruby hopped into the window first, closely followed by Aquamarine. She dropped the case onto the chair next to them before settling back down into her lap. Ruby set their full cups into the perfectly sized slots next to them. Maybe that was why they were there.

“Do you remember how to start it?” She asked. 

“Of course I do,” Aquamarine said confidently, before snatching up the first pair of wires.

***

The two were now driving on the other side of the road, repeating all the same scenery in reverse order. Not much time had passed inside the gas station , and they were only a few hours into their backtracking. Their Slurpees were half empty in the slots beside them. Another thing Ruby had noticed was the human’s use of the word car . Was that the human word for vehicle? She should have asked when she had the chance.

The miles of repetitive scenery inevitably bored them both. The little signs they didn’t understand. The metal guard railing that came and went with no rhyme or reason. It all begged for someone to break the silence. Truly the only interesting thing they passed was the occasional human in their own vehicle. Though one had been abnormally large, with multiple pairs of wheels and a ginormous rectangular body.

Ruby finally spoke, a voice hushed by calm. “How far do you think we are?”

Aquamarine huffed. “How would I know, Bea? But we’ve been driving for a long time now, we’re probably closer than we were before.”

“I can't believe we were going in the wrong direction. It reminds me of a story though… Once, with my Ruby squad,” She began, “We were plotting a course to a faraway planet. Some type of reconnaissance. But Ruby put the new gem in charge of piloting because I needed extra hands with the engines. We ended up in a totally wrong system, and no one realized until we got there.”

Aquamarine giggled, taking her eyes off the road for a moment. “You think that’s bad? One time, I was being escorted by a couple of dull Quartzes, and they hated each other. Well, they ended up fighting each other so much on the ship, one of them actually cracked the other. We had to turn back around and that was one of the funniest reports I ever wrote. Stars, they were unruly”

“Really? Talk about professionalism.” Ruby laughed.

“Yes, it wasn’t long before I was assigned Topaz.”

Ruby was eager at the opportunity to tell stories. “Okay, wait, I’ve got another one; Once I was on Homeworld for a stretch with my squad, right? Well, this snotty Morganite mistakes Ruby for one of her Rubies, because they had the same gem placement. Ruby didn’t know how to tell her the mistake and we spent way too long trying to find her. Turns out her Ruby had run off with her Pearl! I wonder what happened to those two...”

Aquamarine lit up in turn. “That reminds me of a time…”

They ended up telling their stories for hours. They were both cackling, grinning madly. Her cheeks felt strained and her ribs felt broken as the midday grew to afternoon, and afternoon grew to sunset. Some were long-winded, many were brief. But they both had so many stories to tell. 

Eventually, Aquamarine’s well of memories ran dry. But Ruby’s didn’t. It stretched through many millennia, running like a river intertwined with her life. So as the sun began to dusk, Ruby was quietly recounting stories from some-odd thousands of years ago. She never realized how many things she had seen, all the adventures taken, the stupid mistakes made. But she recounted every detail she could. Aquamarine only occasionally added her commentary, listening intently to every last word she retold. Tales dwindled from hilarious blunders down to whatever she thought of. Even sad, tragic ones. Like the recent one she retold now.

“That’s why I was so scared of that animal earlier. After what had happened to Ruby...” She had told her partner the story of a Ruby in their squad before their youngest member joined. It had only been maybe 70 years? It was a tale fresh in her mind.

"Organics are really capable of that?" Aquamarine shook her head downcast. "That's horrible."

“Well, it was circumstantial I guess. Don’t be scared, just careful.” Her voice was pained though her words were hopeful. Ruby felt the cold weight of dread, heavy in her hollow heart. She stared into the distance ahead of them, longing for a comfort she couldn’t quite grasp.

Aquamarine relaxed against her chest, in a small attempt to soothe her. Her warmth was fleeting, but a scrap of hope to hold onto fiercely.

Ruby wrapped her arms around the tiny gem just a bit tighter. “How about we stop for the night?”

Aquamarine looked up at her, a rare gentle smile on her face. “Sounds lovely.”

Chapter Text

Ruby's mind felt groggy as she awoke to the loud pitter-patter on the roof. It was, strangely enough, a calming sound to wake up to. It's metallic ring muffled whatever storm was raging outside. She was sitting up against the right side of the backseat, the back of her head resting on the cold glass window. She already knew she would be even sorer than she was yesterday, craning her neck in such an awkward pose. She felt Aquamarine fidgeting uncomfortably in her arms. She felt her holding handfuls of shirt fabric in her tiny hands, gripping it tightly.

She half-opened her eye slowly. The car was strangely dark, but not as dark as it would be at night. Colors were dulled and murky for some odd reason. The clear blue sky was not boundless out of their windows. It was gray, bleak, and muddled.

A sudden crack split the air outside the car. Aquamarine curled up tighter in her arms with a frightened squeak. Her eye shot open and she hugged Aquamarine protectively to her chest.

She looked down at the tiny blue gem whimpering in her embrace, then out the window. She recognized this condition. Rain. It had rained in her time on Earth many years ago. Though it seemed to terrify Aquamarine. They didn’t tend to brief gems on the tumultuous weather patterns here, despite how handy the rather simple explanation would be. They must not have changed that process in the last 6000 years.

"Hey, hey," She whispered softly. Aquamarine's head shot up to look at her, eyes wide and fearful.

"O-oh, you're awake," She stuttered. "There's something outside, it's been trying to attack us all morning! I couldn’t wake you up!"

Ruby stroked her hair slowly. "It's okay, it's just raining." 

Aquamarine scrunched her eyebrows frustratedly. “Oh, so just another stupid Earth thing.” She grumbled. Her voice was quickly guarded once more, anger slapped on top of whatever fear she obviously felt. It was almost sad to see. But she hadn’t quite let go of her grip on Ruby’s uniform.

Another crash of thunder was grating on their ears. Aquamarine flinched back into her arms. Ruby didn’t particularly enjoy the ruckus either, it was reminiscent of a faint memory she need not remember. Of the old Earth, wild and deadly. The way it used to be, and the way that still lingered in her mind. But she could be brave enough to tough it for the gem in her arms.

“Are you sure it’s not dangerous? What could be making that horrid noise?” Aquamarine squeaked timidly, sneaking glances out the windows.

“Don’t worry, it’s safe. It’s just something we’ll get used to,” She sighed.

Ruby gently took a delicate hand away from her shirt, holding it in her own. It was so tiny, she was afraid she could crush it. Her thumb traced small circles in the palm of her glove, the quiet sound of smoothing fabric all but erased by the pounding droplets above their heads. Her grip softly wrapped around Ruby’s thumb, barely big enough to hold it.

Eventually, the tiny gem lifted her head and stared out the back window. Ruby followed her gaze. She watched the droplets roll down in twisting rivulets. She listened to the rhythmic drumming of the storm as it pelted down on their car. Her breathing steadied as minutes passed.

“It really can’t hurt you?” She asked in a hushed, wary whisper.

“Never hurt me. You can stand in it, it doesn't do anything. Might get your appearance modifiers wet though,” Ruby reassured her.

She slowly sat up, pulling herself from Ruby's embrace and turning to the open driver’s side window. Water had soaked through the front seat substantially, dripping from the top edge of the empty frame and even from the steering wheel. Aquamarine’s wings appeared with a flourish. She fluttered toward the front seat, but hesitated, hovering just out of the falling rain’s trajectory.

“Are you sure about this?” She grumbled again, looking back over her shoulder.

Ruby nodded. “Of course.” She sat up, perched on the edge of her seat, and ready to follow her.

She treaded air for a few more moments. Watching the rainfall. Watching dark circles dot the fabric on impact. For a moment, Ruby didn't know if she'd do it. 

She took in a deep breath and muttered something under her breath. With faith in her eyes, she flew out the window.

Ruby quickly climbed out of the backseat to follow her. Her neck screamed in protest but she barely let herself wince. She pulled herself out and turned up to the small blue figure standing on the roof.

Aquamarine stood still, hands limp by her sides. Her head was tilted toward the sky, eyes shining as she stared into the expanding gray sky. Droplets hit her skin and dampened her hair. They fell into her clear blue wings, mixing in brackish water until they were a muddy color. As they grew heavy, they started to drip down onto the metal she stood on.

Staring into the beyond, her look was full of wonder. Storm clouds reflected in the wide navy pool of her eyes, light flashing as the lightning lashed inside the atmosphere. 

The wind howled as it carried the rain. It swept up Ruby's hair and covered her eyes. She pushed it out of her view, raking her bangs above her face. "I told you it wouldn't hurt you!" Ruby shouted over the swishing of trees and the din of the rain.

Aquamarine snapped out of her wonderstruck gaze to look back at her. "I wasn't that scared!" She laughed. Her smile lit up the foggy abyss behind the trees. It could’ve broken any storm, should she have tried.

Ruby lifted herself onto the roof, metal groaning under her weight. Aquamarine flew up to eye level, the movement of her wings slow and languid. She smiled begrudgingly. "It's just a stupid Earth thing after all," the tiny gem giggled.

They stood in the chaos for a moment, staring at each other as rain soaked their appearance modifiers. She watched water bead up and roll down her partner's teardrop shaped gem. It was such an odd detail but it was so endearing. So pretty.

Ruby sighed quietly, eye darting toward the road ahead of them. "For Earth, it's actually kinda pretty," she said quietly. Her words barely carried any volume over the rain.

Aquamarine followed her gaze. "I guess it kinda is." She paused, eyes thoughtful and tense, like working out the edges of a rough idea. She turned back to Ruby eagerly.

"We could look from above if you'd like." Ruby blinked at her in surprise. Only moments ago she was fearful in her arms. But Aquamarine looked rather excited by the idea. She held out a small hand, and Ruby took it carefully. Aquamarine took her arm with both of her determined hands and took flight. 

She fluttered up to the tops of the trees, spinning effortlessly through the pouring rain. With a slight dip, she curved their path upward, going straight through the dense layer of cloud cover, and into a vast plain of calm. Water sprayed in her face as she burst through the heavy clouds. Above them was the stretching expanse of sky, and below them, fluffy grey fields. There wasn't any sign of the ground below the thick blanket of storm clouds.

They slowed to a stop, fluttering midair and completely awestruck by the unfathomable image that lay infinite in front of them. The sky was only beginning to burn, the stars still shining brilliantly toward the West. Space looked like a gradient of an entire Earth morning, blended so magnificently. Midnight to sunrise with lavender and blue on the horizon.

Aquamarine began to giggle, to laugh even. "The Earth is absolutely baffling," She breathed.

Ruby began laughing with her. Such a strange planet. Such a strange scenario to be so beautifully ornate. Such an obscure moment, for no purpose other than that it was how the Earth was.

Aquamarine began twirling the two midair. Ruby was almost caught off guard. They flew in figure eights under the painted skyscape, like a delicate ribbon between your hands.

Ruby held on by both hands now, laughing and shouting as they flew in an intimate circle of dance. Again, for no other reason than that, they simply could. Ruby felt herself being whisked away from everything. She was only here, only now, dancing above the rain with what felt like the only gem in the world.

Suddenly, another flash of lightning lit up the sky. But instead of a loud crash to follow, it simply faded away, leaving behind Bluebird Azurite, surrounded by the clouds. 

For a moment, she smiled. This was right. This was the perfect moment to be alive. To be as alive as every short-lived organic that was born for the end. Happy, together.

But then she realized what she'd done.

She split with a loud pop! They made eye contact for a slow moment. Aquamarine stared at her with shock, flustering teal spread over her cheeks. Time seemed to stop for an eternity. 

Until time began again, and Ruby was falling.

She fell straight through the dense cloud layer. Water was cold against her back, snapping her alert with panic. She tried her best not to move. If she landed face-first, her gem could hit any number of things on the ground.

Aquamarine yelped in shock. She swooped down and grabbed her by the shoulders. Their momentum was bringing them tumbling down into the trees. Wet leaves battered and slapped them as they fell, unable to slow their clumsy dissent. They brought down branches and sticks before they crashed into the forest floor. 

They groaned once they hit the ground. Aquamarine was sprawled out flat on her face, Ruby on her back. They were no longer holding each other, just laying in a pile of wet leaves.

Aquamarine was the first to push herself up. She pulled leaves out of her hair and brushed off her skirt. She was obviously shaken when she spoke. "You can do that on accident?" She gasped, "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize," Her voice trailed off as Ruby began to rise as well.

"Neither did I," Ruby sat up and stared at her hands. They had just lost themselves so entirely. It made no sense. Why did they fly up in the first place? Ruby didn't know, but it had been fun.

Ruby looked back to Aquamarine. Again they made eye contact for a slow moment before Aquamarine broke the silence, darting her eyes back towards the sopping wet underbrush. 

"We should get back to the car. A little stupid weather shouldn't keep us from Beach City." Ruby didn't bother to point out how radically different that thought process was from her own merely a few minutes ago. Or how little sense Aquamarine had made all day. Or even question why they had fused in the first place. 

It was their own mistake, she realized. They were dancing, they should have known what would happen. Even if they weren't thinking clearly. They were caught up in the sights, the weird new experiences, nothing more.

Aquamarine was already fluttering back towards the road when Ruby began to catch up. Her arms were crossed defensively, her shoulders tight. 

"Hey it was just a mistake, it's okay," Ruby began. 

"It's fine," Aquamarine spat, cutting her off abruptly. "We don't have to think about this, okay?" She didn't turn around to face her, just kept flying away. She didn't even wait for a response.

Rather dejected, Ruby stared at her feet while walking. She should've been angry. It wasn't like it was her fault. If anything it was Aquamarine's fault. But she only felt strangely empty.

She felt like it hadn't been a mistake. Like it was supposed to make perfect sense. But apparently, it didn't make sense to Aquamarine. 

They had arrived at the car. She climbed in through the window. Water had soaked through the cushion entirely, but Ruby didn't make any fuss. Aquamarine was sitting stiffly on the partition, hands in her lap, and eyes trained on the floor. 

Ruby tried not to look over at her. The wires, thankfully enough, were still dry. She twisted wires absent-mindedly until the car was humming over the sounds of the rain.

Aquamarine struggled to reach the wheel. Her arms were fully extended and she sat on the very edge of the substitute seat. "Are you sure you don't want to sit closer?" Ruby offered awkwardly.

She huffed and trained her eyes on the road. "I'm very sure."

Ruby felt the tension in her chest. She couldn't help but feel disappointed, she had gotten used to them being so close in the car. She swallowed the feeling down and shifted the car into drive.